AT&T Partners with VRI on Remote Medical Monitoring Service
Posted by Jesse Ward on Friday, May 4, 2012 · 
·
According to the market research firm Kalorama Information, chronic conditions – such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, coronary heart disease, congestive heart failure and diabetes — account for nearly 80% of physician visits, more than 80% of hospital inpatient stays, 90% of prescriptions and 95% of home healthcare visits. Further, patients recently hospitalized with one or more of these conditions are at significantly higher risk for re-admission.
Thanks to advances in technology, caregivers can efficiently care for patients outside of the hospital walls. With the aging population, chronic diseases on the rise and a shortage of healthcare workers, remote patient monitoring solutions can help reduce the amount of time patients spend in hospitals by enabling caregivers to continuously monitor their health.
Remote patient monitoring devices remotely collect, store and communicate biometric health information to health care practitioners. As I discussed in NTCA’s “The Smart Rural Community“ white paper, and more in depth in NTCA’s telemedicine ePaper, remote patient monitoring has widespread applicability, from those who suffer from chronic illnesses to monitoring infants and the elderly. Kalorama projects the market to grow 26% overall, from $6 billion in 2011 to more than $18 billion by 2014. A more recent and conservative report by Technavio estimates that the global patient monitoring market will reach $9.3 billion by 2014. Regardless of the exact figure, the nascent market is poised for exponential growth.
AT&T is capitalizing on this business opportunity, announcing May 1 it will partner with Valued Relationships Inc. (VRI) for the national rollout of a new remote patient monitoring service, designed to manage chronic diseases and help reduce hospital re-admissions. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Read more
IIA Hosts Spectrum Event on Capitol Hill
Posted by Jesse Ward on Thursday, May 3, 2012 · ·
Yesterday, Meagan Foster and I attended the Internet Innovation Alliance’s (IIA) Capitol Hill briefing entitled “20 Years Later: Are We Winning or Losing the Spectrum War.” Meagan is in charge of wireless issues for NTCA’s government affairs department.
The majority of the briefing was centered on the explosive growth in mobile wireless traffic and the need for more commercial spectrum. Panelists included: Bret Swanson, President, Entropy Economics; Morgan Reed, Executive Director, Association for Competitive Technology; and Bruce Mehlman and Jamal Simmons, Co-Chairmen, Internet Innovation Alliance.
Spectrum is a particularly hot topic in DC, as the Verizon-cable company spectrum/marketing agreements are currently under review at the FCC. Major industry players are weighing in on this proceeding and its potential impact on wireless competition. At the same time, the commission is preparing to launch an incentive auction that is designed to entice traditional TV broadcasters to relinquish their spectrum to commercial wireless service providers. Read more
GWI to Build 1 Gbps Network in Maine
Posted by Jesse Ward on Wednesday, May 2, 2012 · ·
GWI Inc. announced today that it plans to build a 1 Gbps fiber to the home (FTTH) network in the Old Town and Orono communities surrounding the University of Maine campus.
The project, called Gigabit Main Street Internet Network, sprung from the efforts of the Gig.U initiative, a group of 37 research universities across the United States seeking to accelerate the deployment of ultra-high-speed networks to U.S. universities and their surrounding communities. Gig.U is hopeful that the creation of these networks will drive economic growth and stimulate innovation.
The GWI-built network will be the first gigabit Internet network commercially available to both business and residential customers in the state of Maine. It also is the second Gig.U. network to be built in the United States, following on the heels of an announcement in March by Michigan State University stating that it had received a commitment from a local carrier to build a 1 Gbps network in East Lansing. Read more
VOTW: News from IP Possibilities
Posted by Jesse Ward on Monday, April 16, 2012 · ·
The 2012 IP Possibilities Conference & Expo has now concluded, but don’t forget to visit the event youtube page. More than 25 informational videos are available including Taqua’s take on key themes related to mobile traffic; Adtran’s impressions from the expo floor; an interview with Calix as it releases an important report; and CHR Solutions‘ feedback from the mobile panel session.
Cisco Launches App-Enabled Routers to Support Smart Home
Posted by Jesse Ward on Friday, April 6, 2012 · ·
Earlier this week, Cisco unveiled a new line of Linksys Smart Wi-Fi Routers with application-enabled capabilities. The new router models are EA4500, EA3500 and EA2700, with the “A” designation being short for “app-enabled.”
The routers offer the latest WiFi technology, true dual-band wireless-N, each with 4 Gigabit ports and support for IPv6. The routers also support Cisco Connect Cloud, a Web-based portal that is designed to enable users to easily and securely manage multiple home networks from their smart mobile devices, tablet applications or Web browser. Users can give guests Internet access, set parental controls and add devices to their network through Cisco Connect Cloud’s password-protected site. Read more
Google Fiber: 100 Miles and Counting in Kansas City
Posted by Jesse Ward on Friday, April 6, 2012 · ·
The New Edge has been closely following the developments of Google’s experimental 1 Gbps fiber network the company is deploying in Kansas City, Kan., and Kansas City, Mo.
In early February, Google announced that it was finally ready to start stringing fiber on utility poles throughout the city, having resolved any outstanding issues with the local utility company. This week, Google issued an update on its construction progress, announcing that its crews have already hung more than 100 miles of fiber.
John Toccalino, a manager for Google’s Kansas City fiber project, provided this basic diagram (view the image after the jump) showing the network architecture. Google is building several equipment aggregation centers — or “Google Fiber Huts” – from which the fiber cables will travel along utility poles into neighborhoods and homes. Google also is installing some fiber underground. Read more
NetAmerica Reaches Milestones
Posted by Jesse Ward on Wednesday, March 28, 2012 · ·
NetAmerica Alliance announced today that it has accomplished several important milestones in its mission to deliver 4G LTE service to rural America. NTCA member Panhandle Telephone Cooperative is going live with 4G LTE service in rural Oklahoma at the end of March, as the alliance concurrently unveils its new nationwide 4G LTE consumer service brand called Bonfire.
Panhandle is the first alliance member to light up service supported by the alliance’s IMS-powered SuperCenter which contains both IMS core networking equipment and a 24/7 network operations center. The SuperCenter also goes live in support of the Panhandle deployment.
Headquartered in Guymon, Okla., Panhandle was announced as an alliance member in 2011, and owns 700MHz spectrum which covers six counties comprised of more than 45,000 people, nearly 20,000 households and 7,500 square miles. The telco has built out a large portion of this license area; its current 4G LTE network consists of 45 towers covering 5,000 square miles and a population within reach of those towers of nearly 30,000 people. Panhandle is using fiber with GigE and microwave for its backhaul network.
Earlier this week, the New Edge spoke to Ron Strecker, CEO of Panhandle, and he conveyed that the alliance provides his company with dual service strategies. Read more